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Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

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Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

30% seems a lot when BlueSnap/Avangate/FastSpring provide most of the same services for 6-8%. Of course Apple would argue that they are connecting you to their customers. When there are a million apps in the store I'm not sure how true that is.

BlueSnap/Avangate/FastSpring develop a free OS that's used by 85% of the smartphones in the world? The fee is paying towards the development of Android. Your comparison of "same services" isn't remotely valid.

Is it? I though Android was subsidised by advertising.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

30% seems a lot when BlueSnap/Avangate/FastSpring provide most of the same services for 6-8%. Of course Apple would argue that they are connecting you to their customers. When there are a million apps in the store I'm not sure how true that is.

Payment processing is the smallest part of what the Google and Apple App stores provide, your comparison is ludicrous.

What other function do you think they are providing for the average developer?

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#403
" They’re very aggressive about making sure companies aren’t trying to work around their billing," said Alex Austin, co-founder of mobile company Branch. "They have whole teams reviewing these flows to ensure they get their tax." "

Funny, Apple has similar teams working in the same company, who work at finding ways to SUBVERT paying taxes to governments, etc. Seems ironic that they are so strict about developers paying this 'tax' and then simultaneously trying to avoid paying taxes themselves.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#404
post #135

And they should. We are fast approaching a world where all markets are walled-in by a few international companies. I've had clients of mine go under because Amazon decided to close their accounts and they depend on the platform to sell their wares. Imagine how hard it is to sell stuff online if you're barred from ebay and amazon... and there is no legal recourse to appeal those bans. Same goes for app stores, what ha…

It effects entire countries. With the power of the app store ZTE was crushed overnight if you can't ship the app store you can't sell your phones. The level of leverage is pretty breathtaking.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#405

" They’re very aggressive about making sure companies aren’t trying to work around their billing," said Alex Austin, co-founder of mobile company Branch. "They have whole teams reviewing these flows to ensure they get their tax." " Funny, Apple has similar teams working in the same company, who work at finding ways to SUBVERT paying taxes to governments, etc. Seems ironic that they are so strict about developers payi…

You don't get to be the world's first trillion dollar company by leaving money on the table...

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#406
post #135

And they should. We are fast approaching a world where all markets are walled-in by a few international companies. I've had clients of mine go under because Amazon decided to close their accounts and they depend on the platform to sell their wares. Imagine how hard it is to sell stuff online if you're barred from ebay and amazon... and there is no legal recourse to appeal those bans. Same goes for app stores, what ha…

It effects entire countries. With the power of the app store ZTE was crushed overnight if you can't ship the app store you can't sell your phones. The level of leverage is pretty breathtaking.

ZTE was crushed because they were banned from essential parts for electronics (think Qualcom SOCs etc...)

Companies in China do fine without the Google App Store.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#407
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the way Uber ratings work it seems like there are only two ratings: "I had an acceptable experience" or "This person should lose their job".

It's the same for restaurants in low-volume areas. That under-4-star death knell is a killer for sales. On the other hand, I love perusing those 3-star restaurants as I find so many hidden gems covered in the tears of LLC owners and bored hostesses. If I were a lesser man, I totally am, I would write a book concerning that social theory called the Star Divide.

Hopefully it would be better than the related Black Mirror episode (Nosedive), which started with an interesting premise, but handled it in a very crass and immature way, more reminiscent of stupid Hollywood teen comedies (e.g. American Pie).

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#408
post #135

And they should. We are fast approaching a world where all markets are walled-in by a few international companies. I've had clients of mine go under because Amazon decided to close their accounts and they depend on the platform to sell their wares. Imagine how hard it is to sell stuff online if you're barred from ebay and amazon... and there is no legal recourse to appeal those bans. Same goes for app stores, what ha…

I would add: we as a society need to start thinking about how to halt the service-ization of everything. The smartphone is a general purpose handheld computer that's been captured and turned into a rent-extraction device by being re-conceptualized as a "service." And the service-bug is spreading. Laptop and desktop computers are in the crosshairs, as are cars and various home appliances. Do we want to live in a world where every device is a black box that's only reparable by "authorized" personnel, where some hobby-level engineering skill won't help you prevent a 1$ dishwasher repair from costing 100$? Where every appliance comes with a plan, favors a "platform" and will make your life a headache if you disagree, serves you but also who knows how many other masters and economic agendas, and inexplicably goes dark because bankruptcy, bugs, hacks, your guess is as good as mine?

Generally we need to stop this because it's a major culprit in turning our world into an exhausting, low-trust, paranoid slog. Already, I mistrust non-OSS computing devices with their mystery-meat forced updates and non-removeable apps and barrage of legal agreements. If current trends hold, I'll have to second-guess my fridge because it's also serving a grocery-conglomerate, or the insurance company, my car is serving the insurance company and the state, my toilet works for pharma, and my washer and dryer... well, it goes on like that.

Constant wariness and justified cynicism are exhausting and dehumanizing and will do their part to sap an entire society. We know how this goes in the case of corrupt illiberal states, but ending up in that same place via a corrupt corporate culture/state is also possible, happening as we speak even, and halting that should be seen as another layer of defense for the liberal order.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#409
post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Los Angeles has serious grade inflation across the board wrt social ratings. Their yelp reviews are completely unreliable, everything is 4 or 5 stars. I'm used to Chicago where even a great restaurant can have 3 stars because everyone is so picky, and the 4 or 5 stars are reserved for the truly extraordinary.

Do you find Yelp helpful? I find Yelp so strange with complaints about how someplace that really doesn't do someone's favorite food style gets some stupid reviews.... or they wish a place was more like a place that is 3x more expensive (how is that fair?). I just have no clue where anyone is coming from. We had a Neapolitan pizza place open up in in our neighborhood. Great ingredients, amazing Neapolitan pizza. It wa…

I find this to be particularly bad with Americans and Brits. I don't really use yelp much anymore, but when you're on holiday and look at tripadvisor reviews of restaurants, it always seems to be the Americans and Brits complaining the otherwise great restaurants are bad because they don't do some awful shit that no one in their right mind would ever expect a really good seafood restaurant on the coast in Spain to do (e.g.).

These days, reviews on all platforms are more useful as a way to avoid genuninely awful places. As someone else said, ignore the average rating, but check a few comments to see if there's a consistent negative theme.

Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’

#410

" They’re very aggressive about making sure companies aren’t trying to work around their billing," said Alex Austin, co-founder of mobile company Branch. "They have whole teams reviewing these flows to ensure they get their tax." " Funny, Apple has similar teams working in the same company, who work at finding ways to SUBVERT paying taxes to governments, etc. Seems ironic that they are so strict about developers payi…

That's not ironic, it is exactly what one should expect from a team of people whose goal it is to make money.

People do it in their personal lives too, try to get away with paying the least that they can, and earn as much as they can.

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